ADP Workforce Now vs. Renaissance Accelerated Reader

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
ADP Workforce Now
Score 7.5 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
ADP Workforce Now is a cloud-based HR platform for mid-sized businesses. It features customizable modules of various HR services that businesses can tailor to their specific needs, as well as regulatory monitoring and alerts to help businesses remain compliant.N/A
Renaissance Accelerated Reader
Score 9.9 out of 10
N/A
Renaissance Accelerated Reader® is designed to save educators time by empowering them with Learnalytics® to make differentiating independent and close reading practice effortless – all while maintaining the flexibility necessary to fit within existing classroom routines. Students are engaged in reading self-selected authentic books and articles. Short comprehension quizzes and built-in close reading practice activities, combined with automatic and educator feedback, keep students…N/A
Pricing
ADP Workforce NowRenaissance Accelerated Reader
Editions & Modules
Essential
Contact sales team
Enhanced
Contact sales team
Complete
Contact sales team
HR Pro
Contact sales team
Payroll Essentials
Contact sales team
HR Plus
Contact sales team
Hiring Advantage
Contact sales team
Performance Plus
Contact sales team
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
ADP Workforce NowRenaissance Accelerated Reader
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup fee
Additional DetailsPlease contact ADP for a product demo and ask about a hands-on "test drive" of Workforce Now.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
ADP Workforce NowRenaissance Accelerated Reader
Features
ADP Workforce NowRenaissance Accelerated Reader
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.7
1058 Ratings
5% below category average
Renaissance Accelerated Reader
-
Ratings
Employee demographic data8.3935 Ratings00 Ratings
Employment history8.1974 Ratings00 Ratings
Job profiles and administration8.1924 Ratings00 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.7.6951 Ratings00 Ratings
Organizational charting7.4666 Ratings00 Ratings
Organization and location management7.7731 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)6.9673 Ratings00 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.9
1069 Ratings
3% below category average
Renaissance Accelerated Reader
-
Ratings
Pay calculation8.71030 Ratings00 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors7.5408 Ratings00 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment7.9321 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.5817 Ratings00 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.71017 Ratings00 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management7.3800 Ratings00 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.5488 Ratings00 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.9
875 Ratings
3% below category average
Renaissance Accelerated Reader
-
Ratings
Approval workflow7.7797 Ratings00 Ratings
Balance details7.9829 Ratings00 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment8.1673 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.7
1050 Ratings
6% below category average
Renaissance Accelerated Reader
-
Ratings
View and generate pay and benefit information8.21013 Ratings00 Ratings
Update personal information8.21003 Ratings00 Ratings
View company policy documentation7.9811 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee recognition6.5382 Ratings00 Ratings
View job history7.732 Ratings00 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
6.0
12 Ratings
28% below category average
Renaissance Accelerated Reader
-
Ratings
Tracking of all physical assets6.012 Ratings00 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
6.8
974 Ratings
11% below category average
Renaissance Accelerated Reader
-
Ratings
Report builder7.6957 Ratings00 Ratings
Pre-built reports7.1952 Ratings00 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data5.6569 Ratings00 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.2
142 Ratings
10% below category average
Renaissance Accelerated Reader
-
Ratings
New hire portal7.5138 Ratings00 Ratings
Manager tracking tools6.8112 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.1
329 Ratings
12% below category average
Renaissance Accelerated Reader
-
Ratings
Corporate goal setting7.1255 Ratings00 Ratings
Individual goal setting6.9307 Ratings00 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility7.1252 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance tracking7.2302 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
6.4
426 Ratings
21% below category average
Renaissance Accelerated Reader
-
Ratings
Performance plans6.6383 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance improvement plans6.3328 Ratings00 Ratings
Review status tracking6.0386 Ratings00 Ratings
Review reminders6.9402 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple review frequency6.5335 Ratings00 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
6.0
7 Ratings
26% below category average
Renaissance Accelerated Reader
-
Ratings
Create succession plans/pools5.86 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate ranking5.86 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate search6.37 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate development6.26 Ratings00 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
6.0
438 Ratings
24% below category average
Renaissance Accelerated Reader
-
Ratings
Job Requisition Management7.1383 Ratings00 Ratings
Company Website Posting6.9374 Ratings00 Ratings
Publish to Social Media5.3300 Ratings00 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting6.1336 Ratings00 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention2.38 Ratings00 Ratings
Applicant Tracking6.8378 Ratings00 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts7.2399 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
ADP Workforce NowRenaissance Accelerated Reader
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.4 out of 10
iSpring LMS
iSpring LMS
Score 8.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
iSpring LMS
iSpring LMS
Score 8.9 out of 10
Enterprises
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
Predictive Index Behavioral Assessment
Predictive Index Behavioral Assessment
Score 9.4 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
ADP Workforce NowRenaissance Accelerated Reader
Likelihood to Recommend
7.9
(1123 ratings)
9.9
(65 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.4
(83 ratings)
9.1
(9 ratings)
Usability
2.7
(80 ratings)
10.0
(9 ratings)
Availability
7.3
(14 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Performance
6.4
(13 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
6.6
(494 ratings)
9.0
(25 ratings)
In-Person Training
8.2
(9 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
5.8
(17 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
1.5
(34 ratings)
5.5
(6 ratings)
Configurability
6.4
(10 ratings)
6.4
(2 ratings)
Ease of integration
6.1
(8 ratings)
4.5
(2 ratings)
Product Scalability
7.7
(785 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
5.2
(8 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
6.1
(8 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
ADP Workforce NowRenaissance Accelerated Reader
Likelihood to Recommend
ADP
During COVID, ADP Workforce Now was great about keeping up with changing laws and regulations. They built reports that helped us apply for PPP loans and then later apply for forgiveness. Webinars and other training avenues were well constructed, accurate, and informative. We were all at a loss together and having a partner who ensured the legal side was met was one less worry. They can easily do the day-to-day compliance and regulatory things. COVID highlighted how quickly it could be done.
Read full review
Renaissance Learning
I have found Renaissance Accelerated Reader to be well-suited for elementary readers. I don't have experience using it with high school students; however, I know that for our elementary readers, there are no shortages of tests available. Our students can read trade books, articles within the program, or even stories from our textbooks and take tests on them
Read full review
Pros
ADP
  • HRIS that is personalized for the employee and addresses DE&I needs.
  • Payroll, of course! The system addresses all needs, such as deductions, additional pay, premium OT, and shift differentials.
  • Onboarding is an excellent way to stay in compliance and have all documents completed.
  • Tax and Banking and resolution to any issues.
Read full review
Renaissance Learning
  • Automatically calculating ZPD ranges. Student level ranges are automatically calculated within the system to ensure that students are correctly choosing the most appropriate books for them.
  • Easy goal setting. Whether you want to set a blanket goal based on 20 minutes per day of reading time for the class, or you want to individually set goals up to an hour a day, AR makes it very easy to manage and set goals for your entire classroom. Goals can be adjusted as needed easily as well.
  • Comprehension monitoring through testing. I can easily see which students are struggling on comprehension through AR book quizzes. From student scores, I can either motivate students who are rushing through books to slow down and take time to thoroughly read, or I can help students who are possibly struggling to read harder books with specific strategies that will benefit them the most. Without the testing feature of AR, I would have a lot more work to check how students are doing on their independent reading.
  • Data that is easy to understand and share with students. From either running a report on the entire class or school to just a specific student, AR makes data tracking easy. I can share reports with students and have detailed discussions about their progress towards meeting their goals or steps to take to overcome reading challenges they are currently having.
Read full review
Cons
ADP
  • Customized pre-process payroll reports (Limited on pre-process payroll reports)
  • Labor Allocation (Allocations make payroll reporting very hard to review and find any errors )
  • Recruiting (ATS is very basic)
  • Geofencing (should be able to change shape rather than a circle)
  • Pay Classes (should be able to change at Practitioner level rather than reach out to support)
  • Cookies and Cache have to be cleared on a regular basis
  • Only able to see employee documents/acknowledgements one at a time in the employee file
  • Timecards can only be managed/viewed by 1 person
  • Timeoff emails do not have a link
  • Cost per payroll - not just monthly fee so cost with off cycle payrolls
  • Separate I9 step not needed - during onboarding - 2nd Everify step
  • ADP Workforce Now does not pull in allowances for Houly employees into payroll ONLY Salaried employees
Read full review
Renaissance Learning
  • Lately, Accelerated Reader has been adding "New Reports" which would help single class users such as a teacher with one class. But for a person with administrative rights, it creates a bit of a hassle to get the information needed at times.
  • Cost - Accelerated Reader is expensive. For the price paid, I feel Renaissance should include some features instead of having additional fees paid.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
ADP
Due to the lack of support from the sales and service center we are looking at other options outside of ADP. Again it is a good system, it just lacks the support it deserves from the company employees. It is just unimaginable that you will need to reach out to a service provider several times for the same issue and not get it resolved.
Read full review
Renaissance Learning
[Renaissance] Accelerated Reader is a great way to track student progress, motivate students to read, and measure their comprehension. Accelerated reader gives both teachers and students immediate feedback. There are countless options of books for students and can help increase student interest in books and improve students' reading ability.
Read full review
Usability
ADP
I would give it a 10 however I do not like when ADP does facelifts in Workforce Now which does not add any value other than having to relearn navigation. I am also not a big fan of being forced to refer to the Bridge. We have Google which gives the same results. If I understood the answer I would not contact our Account Rep.
Read full review
Renaissance Learning
I give Renaissance Accelerated Reader a great 10 in usability rating. I give this rating because overall the program is very easy to use and for the most part easy to understand. I am currently in my first year working in the library and with the teachers using the Renaissance Accelerated Reader program so there is still much to learn, but it has been an overall great experience so far. All of the data is easy to read and there is so much information to look over in case anything is missed or not understood. I have so far been very happy with the Renaissance Accelerated Reader program and what it has done for the students.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
ADP
ADP outages are very rare
Read full review
Renaissance Learning
I have not encountered any problems with availability
Read full review
Performance
ADP
Overall, I think the functionality of the program works pretty well. Sometimes, certain browsers do not work well for the policy function of ADP, but that is the only issue thus far
Read full review
Renaissance Learning
Quick loading, no issues.
Read full review
Support Rating
ADP
this is my only down side of ADP, they dont transfer you around a lot (Good) and try to tackle the issue right there, but the english barrier is sometimes a huge brick that stands in the way, and can result in the wrong outcome. There has been times I have asked for someone else as I thought it was getting done wrong, and was still able to get the assistance I needed, just took me explaining it twice
Read full review
Renaissance Learning
Renaissance Reader has a great support team, and generally, they are quick to respond when needed. The live chat tool is a life-saver when trying to get your problems solved in real-time. They also have a lot of online support articles that ensure that you can get your questions answered without necessarily having to use the live chat during the school day.
Read full review
In-Person Training
ADP
In-person training was pretty good - I think this significantly depends on the trainer. Our trainer was really good and showed what ADP can do - but I know that all trainers are not the same - and this truly makes such as difference. Overall, our training went pretty well.
Read full review
Renaissance Learning
No answers on this topic
Online Training
ADP
At the time training was not as expansive as it is now. If it could go wrong it did for me so the process was difficult and lengthy. I needed to have more in person walkthroughs of things to ensure the transition was done correctly. Not sure what else I can say, we were part of the initial move to Workforce Now when it was introduced.
Read full review
Renaissance Learning
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
ADP
Either assign more than one specialist to the implementation process, or assign less clients to the implementation specialist. The process requires attention to detail and the ability to test and re-test as well as verify the information. It also requires a lot of back and forth between the client ant the implementation specialist, so they need to be readily available during the whole implementation process.
Read full review
Renaissance Learning
Extensive training on Ren Place is necessary. There are a myriad of reports that we need help understanding. I have joined Ren Royals and have learned a lot from that support piece.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
ADP
They pale compared to ADP because they each have broken systems that do not flow from beginning to end. Another system is required to support all of the functions needed to process payroll. That puts too much on me, the person, instead of the system. We should work smarter, not harder.
Read full review
Renaissance Learning
I have not used any of the products listed. However, AR has been my choice of product. My school system choice this product because it interfaces well with all other reading and testing programs that have been purchased. It is an excellent product, but that is a given since it was developed by a teacher to address a problem that all educators deal with (How do you help a struggling reader best?). AR is the answer for me.
Read full review
Scalability
ADP
We have been able to grow with ADP from just a few hundred employees to over 10,000 so it's actually very scalable for payroll usage. We do not use the benefits and onboarding offerings for most of our employees but they are built to scale easily enough for when our corporate team has over 1,000 FTE.
Read full review
Renaissance Learning
Because students can take tests on varying book levels.
Read full review
Return on Investment
ADP
  • ADP WorkforceNow has provided a positive ROI for our company. It has saved me countless hours in the time I used to spend preparing reports, managing benefits, and annual enrollment, recruitment tracking, and much more.
  • The integration with Payscale has allowed our company to take every position in our organization and benchmark it to industries and job titles. This has allowed us to be more competitive on recruitment and retention.
  • We have used the new DE&I dashboard to provide valuable information on the landscape of our workforce, as well as areas of our organization that may not be as diverse.
Read full review
Renaissance Learning
  • The goal of AR is for kids to enjoy books, spread their wings, and experience a variety of literature & genres. Children need copious amounts of reading to become good readers. Incorporating Renaissance Accelerated Reader 360 into our day sets a purpose for reading and holds children accountable.
  • Renaissance Accelerated Reader 360 is research based. The single biggest predictor of academic success is time spent reading. This program allows for that.
  • Renaissance Accelerated Reader 360 allows for scaffolding of reading material to get the kids into more challenging material. This program allows children to be successful and build on their strengths.
  • Renaissance Accelerated Reader 360 empowers students to take ownership in the learning process. It gives them a voice.
  • Renaissance Accelerated Reader 360 is a program that lets students practice and apply skills and strategies learned during mini lessons and strategy-group instruction.
Read full review
ScreenShots

ADP Workforce Now Screenshots

Screenshot of ADP Workforce Now: a simple and complete human capital management solutionScreenshot of Benchmarking by ADP DataCloud: an application with an extensive data set ... available to ADP Workforce Now clientsScreenshot of ADP Workforce Now clients can equip their employees with the ADP Mobile self-service app